Data vs. Information in Higher Education

I thought I would share the text of a letter that we've submitted to Senators Tom Harkin and Lamar Alexander, Chairman and Ranking Member of the HELP (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) Committee where the Higher Education Re-authorization Act (HRA) and higher ed reform more broadly is being discussed and addressed. While some of what is being discussed around higher ed reform doesn't intersect directly with Oracle's interests or strengths, the issue of leveraging data to make better decisions (i.e., converting data into useful information) is something that Oracle has not only a keen interest in but also considerable expertise from our work across many different industries.

Oracle has a shared interest in data related to higher
education, and have watched with interest the series of hearings held by the
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP Committee) related
to the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. We appreciate the thoughtful and deliberative
approach taken by the Committee related to this reauthorization. While we
realize the hearings thus far have not directly dealt with data they have
touched on the collection of better data in a general sense. Now that
legislation has been introduced, we are
offering our comments on the topic of data as
it relates to higher education and look forward to working with the Committee
as the bill makes its way through the legislative process.

Oracle is a leader in providing innovative and comprehensive
data systems for institutions of higher education in the United States.Our software and hardware systems are the
foundations for the data platform in higher education throughout the country,
with over 1400 campuses leveraging Oracle technology, 430 of which run Oracle
Peoplesoft Campus Solutions student information system, the core application of
the academic enterprise.Our products
are used everywhere, from small community colleges to the largest world-class,
multi-campus university systems.Over 11
million students have data stored and processed using Oracle’s systems, more
than any other provider of its kind in the United States.

PeopleSoft Campus Solutions is a comprehensive software
suite that provides institutions with support for the full student life-cycle,
from prospects and recruiting to enrollment and alumni management.Our products allow institutions to provide
services and information to students, as well as prospective students, in an
easy to use format both online and in real-time.

Industry
Strategy Council

Oracle incorporates feedback from its most strategic
customers through industry strategy councils. The longest standing of these
councils is Oracle’s Education & Research Industry Strategy Council.Meeting semi-annually, this group consists of
a broad range of 29 higher education institutions (with representation from
community colleges to the largest AAU research universities) which provides
input on the most pressing issues facing higher education where technology can
play a pivotal role.

DATA
AND HIGHER EDUCATION

Without question, higher education institutions are
“data-rich” organizations that collect information on students at multiple
points and for various purposes as they progress through educational
systems.In fact, higher education
institutions likely possess more raw data and information on their students
than any other type of organization in any sector.While some institutions have structures and
processes in place to analyze and use the data, few have the ability to quickly
turn that knowledge into timely action.

Data
Silos
Within most higher education institutions there exists a complex web of
disconnected systems such as learning management, library, fund-raising,
recruiting, human resources, financial systems, research grants, and more.
Although these systems could benefit from sharing information with one another,
most institutions do not have a uniform way to collect and compile the data
produced.As a result, information
technology budgets on most campuses are heavily burdened by high costs to connect
and maintain integrations between all these systems and the information they
hold, which is money that could be spent on higher-value projects to support
the institution’s mission.

Particularly at larger institutions, these divisions lead to
numerous data silos.A large research
university is not unlike a mid-sized city with its own police and fire
departments, hundreds of buildings in a multitude of locations, thousands of
employees and tens of thousands of constituents.The departments within such a system
routinely collect information on students for a variety of purposes, and often
times this happens without coordination or sharing of information.For example, Student Financial Aid, the
Office of the Registrar, and the Student Affairs Department with a university
system all generate separate data that could be useful together, but the lack
of collaboration and organization result in a missed chance to use data to tell
a comprehensive story.What are absent
are the tools, data and IT governance structure, and the organizational
capacity to turn data into meaningful information to drive student success.

The keepers of the most data within college systems, Institutional Research
departments, typically spend much of their time compiling statistics into fact
books and meeting basic regulatory reporting requirements, and are rarely
focused on the strategic use of data to support one of the core missions of the
university –increasing the productivity of teaching and learning.Operational and performance reporting has
fallen to the diverse silos of operations within the complex enterprise that is
a higher education institution.

Duplicative
Data and Data ManagementWhile one might assume that there exists just one record for
each student within a system, this often is not the case and can cause problems
on many levels. Human error is one contributing factor to duplicative
data.A seemingly insignificant mistake
entered into a system from day one can result in duplicate data that over time,
contributes to inaccuracies in reporting and in many cases, a false
representation of student success (or lack thereof).For example, if an applicant uses the name
“John B. Smith” during his first interface with a college, and simply “John
Smith” during a subsequent interaction, two records have been created for the
one student.In many instances, the
“John B. Smith” record is never replaced or deleted, and can actually count
against an institution as a non-progressing student or a dropout.

Duplicative data is often created as a result of
discrepancies in “data definitions.” Institutions are routinely asked for data
on their student population, from various local, state and federal sources, all
of which may ask for the exact same information, but in different ways.For example, there are numerous definitions
that vary across federal and state program reporting, such as the definition of
a full-time student, ethnicity, dependency status, date of birth vs. age as of
a certain date and residency, to name just a few.These definitions vary across programs from
the Department of Education to the Department of Labor to the Department of
Health and Human Services to other agencies interacting with institutions of
higher education.Time wasted to report
a duplicate record, as well as the amount of unnecessary data amassed as a
result are both serious and costly problems for institutions.

Definitional confusion frequently becomes a volume
management issue.The volume of required
compliance reports is vast and made cumbersome by the multiple definitions of
data that vary by report.This pulls
limited resources from Institutional Research departments to focus on
non-strategic activities like compliance instead of valuable strategic analysis
such as evaluating student success and risk factors.

Integrated
Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) As required by the
Higher Education Act, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
(IPEDS) is a system of surveys that collect data from all U.S. postsecondary
institutions that participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs.IPEDS collects data within a variety of
categories, including institutional characteristics, completions, enrollment,
student financial aid, graduation rates, finance, and human resources.While it may have been an appropriate tool
for capturing a snapshot of student populations in the past, it is essential
that as the Committee considers reauthorization of the Higher Education Act,
IPEDS is brought into the twenty first century.

Students in 1966 experienced higher education very
differently than students in 2014. Rather than applying for a specific program,
staying in it until completion and subsequently becoming employed in that
specific field, a typical student today may start out at a community college,
change his or her major two or three times, transfer institutions, take a leave
of absence and return to school, or even reduce at some point to half-time
status.The availability of on-line
courses from many different institutions contributes to the swirl though an
academic system versus a linear path at one institution.Market forces and employment trends push
students into different majors and schools, and family circumstances or simply
the high cost of a college degree can also impact how, where and why a student
attends college.We need to study students,
not just institutions.Further, we need
to recognize that each institution has a different mission, and meets the needs
of its students in a unique way.

Specific problems with IPEDS are well-documented and agreed
upon across industries.For example, as
noted in a 2010 GAO Report, “IPEDS graduation rates only measure the outcomes
for first-time, full-time, degree/certificate seeking students, which comprise
49 percent of entering students nationwide according to IPEDS data.Students who attend part-time or transfer in
are not counted toward a school’s graduation rate.All nongraduates are treated as dropouts,
even if they go on to graduate from another institution.”[1]
We agree that this is a problem and symptomatic of an outdated system in need
of refreshing.

A more longitudinal method that provides a comprehensive, 360 degree view of a
student moving through and out of a system can make the same data much more
valuable and worth the time and financial resources institutions of higher
education invest into complying with IPEDS reporting rules.While a longitudinal view of a student’s
progression through higher education is a laudable goal, the endpoint should be
inclusive of all learning, K-through-adult continuing education.

Contextualizing
Data

It is important to note that the repeated calls to link data
to outcomes should be tempered with the reality that defining meaningful
outcomes for all interested parties is extremely difficult.Although institutions can influence and
support student success, we must remember that the mission of Federal Student
Financial Aid programs, as defined by the Department of Education, are to “make
college education possible for every dedicated mind.”[2]Although the ultimate goal of every academic
institution is to educate students, the way each institution approaches that
mission can be almost as varied as the populations they serve.As a result, the outcomes for each
institution may be very different, but no less effective.

For example, students often begin a program and acquire the
sufficient skills and credentials to be hired by a company without having to
complete the entirety of the program or earning a diploma.In such instances, the Department of
Education fulfilled its mission by providing education to a dedicated student,
and the student achieved his or her goal by gaining the skills necessary for
employment in the field of his or her choice.We can all agree that these are not “failure” type situations, and must
not allow extremely strict or “one size fits all” definitions for student
success.

DATA
SOLUTIONS

The reauthorization of the Higher Education Act presents an
opportunity for Congress to amend antiquated policies and complex and
duplicative reporting requirements that are costly and burdensome to institutions
of higher education.In addition,
improving data reporting rules can help companies responsible for storing and
processing student data, like Oracle, to create products and applications that
can help students, faculty and employees of higher education institutions get
the most out of their time and efforts.

Creating
Additional Resources for Student Services

Our Education & Research Industry Strategy Council
members have shared concerns with us regarding the countless hours and
resources they must commit to ensuring they are in compliance with federal
regulations.

Simplification of data collection requirements across the board
would allow institutions to better fulfill their individual missions by
utilizing their resources to focus on serving the students themselves.Regardless of type, every single department within
an institution of higher education desires for its staff to spend less time
behind computer screens collecting, analyzing and reporting on data, and more
time enriching and improving upon the experiences of their student
population.Academic Advising
Departments can spend more time keeping students on the quickest and most
efficient pathways to completion, and provide students with additional
resources on their career choice or professions.Researchers could spend more time producing
research, and less time jumping through administrative hoops.

One Council member recently reported that its Financial Aid
Office spends approximately 85% of its resources tracking, monitoring or
reporting in order to follow federal regulations.This is clearly a tremendous burden and
expense for the institutions, which must abide by a number of separate programs
that each come with its own rules and regulations that do not coincide with one
another.Further, such systems must be
set up and maintained separately, but must work together as each influences the
eligibility for the other.For instance,
each institution has its own refund policies for students who do not complete
their enrollment in a term.Financial
Aid must independently perform intricate calculations using specific guidelines
to determine if funds must be returned to various federal programs.

It is our firm belief that it is possible to simplify
reporting requirements and enrich student experiences while at the same time
collecting and synthesizing information necessary to ensure the integrity and
quality of our nation’s institutions of higher education.

Increased
Efficiency through Simplification

Streamlining data collection requirements could also allow
companies like Oracle to
improve the products we offer to institutions of higher education.If the systems we create, operate and
maintain are less complex to develop, we can increase our speed of delivery and
deployment to our higher education clients, enabling them to operate more
efficiently.

With additional time and resources, Oracle could shift emphasis
towards more modern technologies such as predictive analytics, device-aware
access (mobility), and embedded social capabilities, which would lead to
increased utilization and collaboration among our higher education
constituents.As mentioned previously,
common data definitions could allow for data to be transferred more easily and
efficiently, which would make the interface easier to navigate and draw
conclusions from.Further, harmonization
of data definitions could help us to make the interface more user-friendly, and
ultimately result in greater adoption among students, faculty and staff.

Finally, data standardization would be an enabler for common
business processes across institutions, which could lead to increases in shared
services between and among higher education institutions.Significant efficiency and effectiveness
gains could be realized if there were a greater reliance on shared
infrastructure (public and/or private cloud technologies).For example, community college systems within
states could share a common instance of human resources (human capital
management), financial, and student administration systems, among others.

The goal shared among servicers, institutions, and Congress
during the Higher Education process is above all, to improve opportunities for
students to gain a quality education.It
is our belief that the challenges and suggestions outlined above could help
that goal become a reality.

About

Comments, news, updates and perspectives from Oracle's global vice president of the education and research industry--which includes higher education, research, and primary/secondary education (K-12) organizations worldwide.